Process of renovating oil



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PROCESS OF RENOVATING OIL Filed Sept. 13, 1933 INVENTOR. [eanard T fizz a275,

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ATTORNEYJ Patented Feb. 11, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PROCESS OF RENOVATING OIL Leonard T. Evans, Indianapolis, Ind.

Application September 13, 1933, Serial No. 689,198

3 Claims.

My invention relates to a process of renovating oil and particularly oil which has been recovered from journal bo-x waste. To renovate oil of this character presents a decided problem both from 5 a commercial and theoretical aspect.

Due to the fact that journal boxes of railway cars have an opening in their rear wall to accommodate the wheel axle an immense amount of foreign matter accummulates in the journal box. For one thing, the brake shoes of railway cars are cast iron and as a result each time the brakes are applied these cast iron shoes are ground off, throwing off a relatively large amount of cast iron dust. Due to the fact that a partial vacuum is created in the journal box by the. rotation of the car axle an immense quantity of this cast iron dust is drawn into the box and into the waste. Furthermore, due to the fact that a partial vacuum is created by the rotation of the axle in the journal box, when the train is traveling at a relatively high speed a larger amount of dust is stirred up which is drawn into the box. This dust consists of fine particles of stone from the ballast, rail dust as a result of the wear of the wheels on the rails and as a result the journal box waste, and particularly the oil which is removed therefrom, contains a large amount of gritty abrasive matter. By actual test under commercial conditions the iron dust alone equals 30 about 68% of foreign matter in this journal box oil.

In addition to the dirt and gritty matter there is a large amount of cotton and wool fibres. The oil is extracted from the journal box waste by a centrifugal process or by other processes and. small fibres of cotton or wool lint remain in the oil. The removal of this foreign matter also presents a decided problem.

By my improved process I am not only enabled to remove practically all of the foreign substances in the oil, but I am enabled to reduce the amount of oil which would under various processes be taken off or removed with the foreign particles to the minimum.

Furthermore, from a commercial standpoint speed of treatment of the oil is desirable, consistent with the minimum amount of equipment and by my process, by the use of one 500 gallon tank I am enabled to treat 500 gallons of oil a day.

In carrying out my process various types of tanks may be used, although I have found the one illustrated in the accompanying drawing as being entirely satisfactory for my purpose.

In the drawing I have illustrated in the figure thereof a perspective View of a tank which I use for carrying out my process.

7 As noted, this tank preferably consists of a rectangular container I having a bottom 2 taking the form of an inverted pyramid and a pyramidal 5 top 3. An oil inlet opening 4 is provided in the vided test cocks II. in the top of the tank.

A vent pipe I2 is provided In carrying out my process the oil to be treated, containing all of the impurities, and hereafter these various impurities will be designated by the generic term dust or dust particles, is delivered to the tank in the desired quantity. Live steam is then admitted through the steam pipe 1 until the oil is heated to approximately 100 degrees F. This steam not only heats the oil to the temperature desired but agitates the oil so that the dust particles are agitated and stirred up in the oil to become more or less suspended therein. The steam is then turned off and from 20 to pounds of silicate of soda to each gallons of oil is added. The variation in the amount of the silicate of soda depends a great deal upon the amount of silicate of soda which has remained after the treatment of an earlier batch. Initially the silicate of soda is added at the rate of 80 pounds to 100 gallons of oil and about this proportion is maintained in the treatment of subsequent batches.

added, water to the extent of 20 gallons per 100 gallons of oil is added. This water content likewise may be varied in accordance with the amount of water which remains after the treatment of the first batch. The proportion however of about twenty gallons of water to each 100 gallons of oil is maintained. Of course this water content is slightly increased by the condensation of the steam used for heating. After the water and silicate of soda have been added steam is again admitted through the steam pipe 1 until the temperature of the oil mass has reached approximately 200 degrees F. After this temperature has been acid, soap stock, or cottonseed, foots.

After the addition of the fatty acid steam is again turned on and through the admission of steam the oil is thoroughly agitated and at the same time the temperature is raised to approximately 210 or 212 degrees. After the oil has been thoroughly agitated and heated the steam is turned oif and the whole mass is allowed to settle. As a result of this settling process the dust particles and soapy mass resulting from the action of the alkali in the silicate of soda upon the fatty acids in the presence of the water andheat settle to thebottom. The silicic acid which has become disassociated from the silicate of soda has a tendency to squeeze this soapy mass forcing out of the mass any oil which has accumulated therein. The soapy mass drops to the bottom of the tank in the form of sludge. The water settles through the oil and in settling also acts as a filtering agent to carry down with it any particles of the soapy mass which have not settled and the clear oil remains on top, which clear oil may be drawn off through the oil drain 9. If, through the introduction of the steam, the water content remaining in the tank is too great, a portion of this water may be drawn oif through the-water drain H3. The sludge is drawn off through the pipe 8 and the valve controlling the same. This pipe may be closed as soon as the sludge has been drawn off, leaving remaining in the tank any silicate of soda which has not become disassociated during the cleansing of the oil and the water, so that these two compounds may be used again, sufficient of each being added to increase the content to the proportion heretofore described.

As a result of the above process less than 2% of oil is wasted or passes off into the sludge and water and the recovered oil contains less than of one per cent dust particles and water. There is no oil wasted or drawn off with the sludge and the process is extremely rapid. I am enabled to treat 500 gallons of oil by the above process in approximately four hours.

The dust particles in oil of this character are thoroughly coated with oil to such an extent that they cannot be wet or moistened by water alone. The high hydroxyl concentration of the disassociated alkali of the silicate of soda moistens the dust particles, breaking down the protective oil film. As a result these dust particles may then become thoroughly wetted by the water during the agitation period. The fatty-acid acts as a saponifying agent in connection with the disassociated alkali of the silicate of soda forming a soap film to which the wetted dust particles will attach themselves, and this soap film with the collected dust particles is precipitated, this precipitation being accelerated by the water which brings the soap together into a mass. During the precipitation of the soap mass the disassociated silicic acid of the silicate of soda has a tendency to contract and squeeze the soap mass to squeeze out all of the oil particles which have been absorbed or collected in the soap mass. The initial heating of the oil before the addition of the silicate of soda not only adds a certain portion of water but also renders the oil more fluid and more readily agitated so that the dust particles will be stirred up more thoroughly and maintained in suspension. The further heating of the oil increases the fluidity of the oil .and also accelerates the chemical and. physical reactions of the process.

I claim as my invention:

1. The process of renovating oil recovered from journal box waste which consists in agitating the oil, adding thereto silicate of soda and water, heating .and agitating the oil, then adding saponifiable fat and increasing the temperature of the oil and agitating the same and. then allowing the mixture to stratify.

2. The process of renovating oil recovered from journal box waste which consists in heating and agitating the oil, adding water and silicate of soda to the oil, increasing the temperature of the oil and agitating the same, adding saponifiable fat, increasing the temperature of the oil to a still greater extent and agitating the same and then allowing the mixture to stratify.

3. The process of renovating the oil recovered from journal box waste which consists in heating the oil to approximately 100 degrees F. adding to the oil silicate of soda in the proportion of approximately 80 pounds to 100 gallons of oil and. water in the proportion of approximately 20 gallons to 100 gallons of oil, increasing the temperature of the oil and agitating the same, adding saponifiable fat in the proportion of approximately 5 pounds to each 100 gallons of oil, still further increasing the temperature of the oil and agitating the same and then allowing the mixture to stratify.

LEONARD T. EVANS. 

